Tag Archives: tension

When I first started this blog, I envisioned being able to regularly update based on only Master-Hand-Knitter discoveries. As it turns out, my life is not that streamlined. Other knitting distracts me, and other things distract me. Therefore, in order to post regularly (which is good blog-keeping etiquette, regardless of whether anyone actually reads this thing), I feel the need to expand my scope a little.

In order to illustrate the effect of different stitch patterns on row and stitch gauge, the TKGA Level I instructions require a comparison between the top halves of swatch #1 (garter stitch) and #2 (stockinette) with the entire swatch of #3 (seed stitch) and #14 (horseshoe cable). The comparison of these four swatches means that they all have to be in the same yarn and knit on the same needles.

It might be nerdy, but I found it rather fun calculate the row and stitch gauges and find experimentally what I knew intuitively: that it takes more rows of garter stitch to achieve the same length fabric as stockinette, or that in terms of stitches per inch a pattern of cable> seed stitch> stockinette> garter stitch. It really reinforces the importance of making gauge swatches “in pattern”.

Each swatch seems to be taking me forever, because there seems to be so much to look up for each one. I’m questioning every basic thing, trying to find out if there’s a better way or ways to do it. I’ve been reading a lot of those “On your way to the Master’s” articles, they are wonderfully helpful, and often their bibliographies point me to other good resources.

How to get the tension on the edges of a piece correct? -It turns out that when you end a row, the last stitch always seems kind of loose. The solution is not Continue reading →

About me

I do administrative work by day and craft by night after the little one goes to sleep. My husband does a lot of chores and indulges my slacking on the home front so that I can have time to do my art. I believe in making my own sunshine.